Arcadia This Week 9/17/2020

Hello, Arcadia Families,

Here’s what’s up at Arcadia this week!

Monday-Friday: Middle School is in-person for hybrid.

Wednesday: School starts at 8:30am with first period (new instruction starts when students taking the bus arrive)

Topics in this update include:

--Attendance (notifications, frequency, procedures)

--Health, Emergency, and FRL Forms

--Family involvement opportunities 

--Headsets (available now!)

--Arcadia Gear Store (open through Sept. 30th!)

--MSHSL membership question

--Reading and Math Corps

--Student reminders, including cameras and technical support

--Upcoming events (pictures coming the end of October, dates forthcoming)

Announcements

Attendance

To report an excused absence, please fill out this form, which is also linked on the website:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdChLRCyvuVuuPNgqWCZzcD5GS64Yu9if-dwt6RcrMwaHaj5g/viewform

To access this form via the website, go to http://www.arcadiacharterschool.org, hover over “Current Families” and click “Report an Absence.” It will go straight to the form.

Attendance is taken throughout the day in eight different attendance periods. If your child is marked absent in the morning (either advisory or first period), you will receive an automated notification at 9:30am. We are working on a second afternoon notification around 3:00pm (only if your child was absent for one or more attendance periods).  

If your child is having technical difficulties, or something comes up during the day, please email Kim Hansen, khansen@arcadiacharterschool.org.

Health, Emergency, and Free/Reduced Lunch Forms

A number of families still need to fill out forms! The forms for this year are available on our student information system, JMC. For new families, you should have received login information in a separate email. For families who have previously used JMC, your login information is the same. If you don’t remember your username, it is typically just your last name (the parent or guardian’s last name). If you have forgotten your password, you can now request a new one through their site.

Here is the link to the parent login:

https://arcadiacharterschool.onlinejmc.com/Parent/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fParent%2f

This can also be found on our website by going to http://www.arcadiacharterschool.org, hover over “Current Families” and click on “Log in to JMC.” Then go to “Parents.”

Note: The more people who fill out the Free/Reduced Lunch form the better! It actually helps us to have a high rate of completion of the form, even if you do not qualify for free/reduced lunch. You will receive an automatic letter telling you whether or not you qualify. Feel free to ignore the automatic letter if you know you won’t qualify--it will say “DENIED” on the top in obnoxiously large letters--but please fill out the form anyway. :)

Family Involvement

As a small school, we rely on everyone’s help to keep us going! It’s not just good for the school, but also for our students, to have everyone involved. According to Henderson and Mapp, 2002, who completed a research synthesis of family involvement in schools, “Students with involved [families], no matter what their income or background, were more likely to:

  • earn higher grades and test scores, and enroll in higher-level programs. 

  • be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits. 

  • attend school regularly. 

  • have better social skills, show improved behavior, and adapt well to school.

  • graduate and go on to postsecondary education.” 

We have a number of areas where we could use help. Please click here to tell us how we can best involve you in the life of the school! 

Headsets

Headsets are now available! If you need one, request it here.

Get your Arcadia gear in our online store through Larson Printing--now through Sept. 30th! See the attached flyer, or simply click on the link to visit the online store.

Online Store Link: https://larsonsprinting.itemorder.com/

Enter code: ACS2020

Minnesota State High School League Activities

If you have a child in grades 9-12 who plans to participate in a varsity sport or other varsity-level MSHSL activity during the 2020-2021 school year, please email Laura! We have to decide whether or not to pay the membership fee ($2750.00). If we have students participating, we will do it! I just don’t want to pay it if we don’t have anyone participating.

Reading and Writing Corps

READING CORPS IS OFFERING FREE ONLINE READING AND MATH SUPPORT FOR KIDS AGE 4 (PreK) THROUGH 8th GRADE

Northfield and Faribault are pilot sites for Reading Corps online support options. Families can be connected to the website and Reading Corps takes it from there!  

www.minnesotareadingcorps.org/families

  • Connect 1:1 online with an experienced educator or literacy coach

  • Receive reading and math support for children in your care, ages prek-8th grade

  • Available for any students, whether they are in school in-person or learning online

  • Reading Corps coordinates everything directly with the family once they're signed up

Families can request a consultation (registration and screening) in English, Spanish, Somali, or Hmong: https://minnesotareadingcorps.org/families/consult/

Student Reminders

Hello, students! A few online learning-related reminders...

Please have your camera on for class to help improve engagement and increase a sense of community in online classes. That said, we understand that there are sometimes legitimate reasons to have one’s camera off. If you need to have your camera off, please communicate with your teacher ahead of time so they know what’s happening. That arrangement can be made, but again, it needs to be made in conversation with your teacher. If a teacher is unable to communicate with you (using the microphone and/or the chat) during the class, and you are not visible, you may be marked absent for the class period.

Try to do any tasks--like making yourself a snack--during the breaks between classes. 

If you need technical support, please reach out to your teacher (if it’s class-related), or Laura (if it’s a problem with your school-issued device or Gmail account). 

Upcoming Events

Oct. 15 and 16: Fall Break

Oct. 20: School Board Meeting (Online: https://meet.google.com/tmk-nfcx-szi, or to join by phone, dial +1 513-796-6467 and enter this PIN: 493 475 105#)

End of October, final dates and times TBD: Picture Day

 

Sincerely,